Roberta Billings Eidemiller

After living 101 years Roberta Billings Eidemiller peacefully passed away on the morning of April 24th with her family and caregivers at her side.

A native of San Diego, she was the daughter of Esther and Elmer Billings, attended San Diego High School where she graduated with Honors in 1942. While attending San Diego State College she pledged Phi Sigma Nu, met and then married Donald I Eidemiller and between 1946 and 1949, gave birth to three children: Marilyn, Kathleen, and Robb.

Prior to permanently moving back to San Diego in 1956, Roberta lived in College Station, TX where Donald was a professor at Texas A&M, and Bloomington, IN, where Donald was earning his PhD. at IU. During her child rearing years she not only tended to their wants and needs and the responsibility of a homemaker but pursued her interests in the natural sciences and re-enrolled at SDSU.

Throughout her long life she engaged in multiple activities, and had a long list of interests: world traveling, sailing, pleasure reading, attending operas, symphonies, ballet as well as listening to classical music, playing bridge with SDSU “Faculty Dames,” sewing designer quality clothing, knitting sweaters, swimming at SDSU several times a week for decades, and traveling the southwest US for the purpose of collecting and classifying native vegetation. Additionally, over the course of her lifetime she professed unwavering spiritual conviction which showed both in practice as well as deeds.

Roberta was known for her kindness, compassion and caring for family and friends, her quiet intelligence and beauty, as well as her wry sense of humor.

While in her nineties she began her slow mental decline caused by dementia but until the last month of her life she remained conversational, pleasant, ambulatory, but expressed frustration with the absence of memory recall.

The family would like to thank Vitas (hospice nurses and staff) as well as her dedicated caregivers who for three plus years made each day for her “a good one!”

Proceeding her in death are: Donald, her husband of 70 years, her granddaughter, Megan Glanville, her brother, Robert Billings, and her nephew, Steven Billings. Survivors include: daughters, Marilyn (James) Skelley and Kathleen Glanville; son, Robert Eidemiller; grandchildren, Nick (Casey) Eidemiller, Paige (Robbie) Richardson, Cole Eidemiller, Laurel (Andrew) Andress-Wilson; five great grandchildren and a nephew and three nieces.

At Roberta’s request there will be a private graveside ceremony.

The family respectfully requests that in lieu of flowers please make a donation to a charity of your choice.